Today's Passage - Matthew 28:9-15

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Matthew 28:9-15   Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, "You are to say, 'His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.' If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.             It is so precious that Jesus greeted the disciples when he met the disciples. Peace was what the disciples needed the most at that time, for their hearts were deeply troubled. They were caught off guard by what happened in Jerusalem in the days before. When they still had Jesus, Jesus solved their every problem, but now it seemed like they have no one to rely on.             Also, their hearts were disappointed. Even though Jesus prophesied about His sufferings and death, the disciples still thought of Jesus' kingdom as one that is on earth. Therefore when the Lord died, their hearts were filled with disappointments, both to the Lord and to themselves. Especially Peter, who thought that he could stand firm for the Lord but ended up denying Him three times. He must be terribly disappointed at himself and wondered if he could ever be used by God again. Besides these, their hearts must be filled with fear, for their futures were full of uncertainty. The persecutions from the authorities have caused them to meet only behind closed door. Peace was the message that they needed. When Jesus said "Greetings", it is not just a mere greeting, for He is the Prince of Peace; not only He gives us His peace, He is peace.             The resurrection of the Lord grants us peace and joy. Human nature is filled with fear due to the lies of the evil one. Many times I heard people saying, "If the Lord manifests Himself among us, we will not be afraid." In fact, those that say so have never experienced the manifestation of the Lord. Every biblical records of human's first response to the manifestation of God is always being terrified. Even the disciples couldn't recognize that it was Jesus walking on the water and thought that He was a ghost, without realizing that it was the work of the Lord. Fear is part of human nature, but the spirit of the Lord is able to touch us and grant us peace in the midst of our fear when He manifests Himself.             Do you have peace in your life? Maybe you are like the disciples, who were troubled, disappointed, and in fear. The Lord wants to touch you with His power of resurrection. After Jesus resurrected from death, He ate and drank with the disciples, which means the power of resurrection can enter into our daily lives. Hallelujah! Let us receive His resurrected life of by faith!   Pray with Pastor Tong     Dear Lord, we give You thanks and praises, for not only You resurrected from death, Your resurrected life can enter into our lives and bring us peace and joy. I thank You and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!en!